Joseph – Reflections (3) Redemptive Suffering

 

“And He called for a famine upon the land; He broke the whole staff of bead. He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters, he himself [his soul] was laid in irons; until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him” (Psalm 105:16 – 19).

 

This is, in many respects, the heart of our life in Jesus Christ. Why? Because it speaks to us of the Cross, of laying down our lives for others, of allowing God to use our sufferings for the deliverance and salvation of others. It is also a picture of God giving us His Word in an intimate way, and of that word – within the Word – being tested. Beyond this and within this passage, we have a portrayal of the Body of Christ, of the Head and of His Body. Within this passage (Psalm 105:16 – 22) is the fulfillment of the promise of Romans 8:16 – 25.

 

I have shared this passage many times (along with 2 Corinthians 1:2 – 11) with men and women experiencing difficult times. We must always look to the Christ of the Cross and the Cross of Christ, trusting that our difficulties, our sufferings, are for the blessing of others and the glory of God. Our sufferings are never just about us; they are never simply about our individual lives. Yes, our sufferings may have various facets to it, such as discipline (Hebrews 12:4 – 11) which is intended to form us into the image of Jesus Christ and to be a source of life to others.

 

Joseph came to realize the truth about his sufferings, as we see in his words to his brothers who betrayed him and sold him into slavery, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:4 – 5).

 

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

 

Let’s note that Jacob and Benjamin also suffered, and that the ten brothers suffered. The brothers not only lived with guilt, but they also came to fear for their lives, both when confronting Pharoah’s deputy ruler in Joseph, and after Jacob’s death.

 

Benjamin suffered the loss of his brother Joseph, his mother Rachel’s other son, Benjamin’s full brother. What was growing up like for Benjamin? Did his brothers show pity for him? When his brothers looked at him did they see Joseph in his features? Were they reminded of their evil actions, of the lie they had to live with for the rest of their lives (as far as they knew)? Did the brothers distance themselves from Benjamin?

 

Did Jacob look back over his own life, over the way he had treated others, over his deceit, over his self-reliance (broken, I think at the brook Jabbok (Genesis 32:24 – 32)? What could Jacob say when the lie his sons told him about Joseph, the lie he had believed for years, was finally revealed? The deceiver Jacob was deceived by his own sons; he must have seen the irony in this.

 

There is also the irony that the brothers, who first lied about Joseph, then had to tell the truth about Joseph in order for their families to live. First, they had to convince their father that Joseph was dead, then they had to convince Jacob that Joseph was alive.

 

There was much suffering to bring about salvation.

 

What do you see in Psalm 105:15 – 22?

 

Do you see a picture of Jesus?

 

We’ll continue our meditation on this passage in the next post in this series…the Lord willing.